"You can't be my kid, I've got way too many responsibilities." Tony crossed his arms and stood his ground. This wasn't just an argument over chocolate milk vs strawberry milk. It was battle for dominance.
"It's not like you're winning the fath...
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"Are you coming, Tony?" Maggie asked as they sat in the expensive car.
"Yeah," he hesitantly replied as he slowly unbuckled his seatbelt. They were parked in the driveway of Ellen and Dan's house - Maggie's grandparents house.
It was a quaint little house in a smaller neighborhood. Two stories of yellow paint and a white porch. The big oak tree grew that in their backyard, harbored a cute treehouse. The house was surrounded by perfectly trimmed grass and bright, colorful flowers.
This house brought back so many memories. He's only been here once or twice a very long time ago, but now that he's sitting in their blacktop driveway, all the memories of Melissa flooded back into his mind.
He got out of the car slowly and made his way to the sidewalk, where Maggie was already waiting for him. Maggie smiled up at him, and gently took his hand in her own.
"It's okay to be nervous, Tony." She said.
He shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, let's just get this over with."
She nodded and they walked up to the porch. Maggie knocked on the door and bounced excitedly. Sure, she saw her mother's side of the family a lot, but she loved her grandparents.
After a few moments, someone pulled back the curtains on the door. The older woman smiled and opened the door.
"Margret!" She exclaimed as she opened her arms for a hug from her granddaughter.
"Maggie." Maggie corrected.
Tony stood on the porch awkwardly as the two hugged each other. The older woman looked over Maggie's shoulder and glanced at Tony. She did a double take before she realized who it was.
She pulled away from Maggie and stood before Tony.
"Anthony," her tone wasn't one of anger or disgust, but one of.....happiness.
"Tony-"
He was abruptly interrupted with a bony hug from Ellen. She smelled of old antiques and freshly baked goodies. Which would explain her attire; jeans, an old red shirt and a white and red polka dot apron.
She had her greying hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her face looked tired and stressed. She looked like she had been crying, but she covered that side of her for the moment and put on a mask of cheer for her granddaughter.
"Hey, Ellen," Stark broke the hug and took a step back.
"Where are my manners, come in. Come in." Ellen ushered the two inside.
Maggie stepped in and heard the high-pitch yip of grandma's small lap dog. The fluffy, white Pomeranian puppy circled Maggie, wagging his curled tail in excitement.
"Hi, Baby!" Maggie scooped the puppy up in her arms and sat on a couch in the living room.
The house was cosy on the inside. Tan carpets and cream colored walls, and small kitchen with a window above the farmhouse sink. The open floor plan allowed Maggie's grandma to bake and cook while Maggie and her cousins watch cartoons in the living room.
Ellen shut the front door after Tony and walked back into the kitchen.
"Margret, your cousin, Danny, is in the back room taking a nap. Will you get him for me?" She said as she busied herself in the kitchen.
"Sure, be right back." Maggie disappeared down the hall.
"You guys are just in time; I made some chocolate chip cookies." She announced as she pulled a tray of steaming hot cookies.
"Where's Dan?" Stark asked still standing in the living room. Tony had always been a little nervous of Dan. Who wouldn't be. The man was at least 6"4 with peak conditions even in his old age.
"Oh, he's out golfing. He hasn't been around the house much since we heard about the....accident." Ellen muttered quietly.
Maggie trotted back into the room with a two-year-old baby boy in her arms. She sat on the yellow couch with the baby in her lap.
Tony awkwardly seated himself on the flower print chair opposite of his daughter.
"Who is this?" He asked Maggie.
"This is Danny, my cousin. He's aunt Kathy's. He's only two, and he's really cute." Maggie explained as she stood the baby up and bounced him in her lap.
Ellen came into the living room and she sat down on the couch beside Maggie.
"Maggie, your other cousins are in the treehouse in the backyard. Do you want to go play?" She asked as she took Danny out of her arms.
"Yep!" Maggie jumped off of the couch and headed for the back door.
"Make sure the fence is locked before you let Baby out with you." Ellen said.
"Kay," Maggie disappeared out the back door with the dog following closely behind.
The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds. The only noise that could be heard was the baby's gurgling and the clock ticking on the wall.
"How are you holding up, Ellen?" Tony asked.
She shrugged, "I've been doing things to keep my mind off of it. I've been doing a lot of baking." She gave an unhumorous laugh before continuing. "There's so many cookies. And pies. And cakes. I just don't know what else to do. I cry myself to sleep each night, and Dan isn't home often during the day. I'm....I'm all alone." She wiped at her tears.
Tony wordlessly rose from the chair and sat next to his (almost) mother-in-law. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed up and down on her arms. His hug wasn't great, but it still helped Ellen.
"You take care of Maggie, Tony." She stayed in a quiet, but powerful voice. "Kathy has four other little ones to take care of. Adding another one would be very stressful for her. Please, just think about it."
A/N;
Hello! I'm so sorry I haven't updated for a long time. It's just a really hard book to write. It's fun, but it's hard. And sad, dang it! It's got a lot of feels!
And it's short, I'm sorry for that too. And it sucks and I'm also sorry for that, but you guys are still reading this and that gives me some hope to continue.
